High School Hi/Lo Books

• In order to get students to read, reading for pleasure must be promoted no matter the style/format.
• The more reading a student does, the better reader and writer they will become.
• Non-fiction comes in easily digestible pieces, plenty of pictures as well as sections or chapters that make it easier to browse the book without having to read it cover to cover, or even in chronological order. Nonfiction continues to be popular with a male audience.

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Characteristics of quality materials for high school hi/lo readers

• Must be high interest to the student
• Usually has less pages or less text and may have simpler sentence structure
• Must be a book that non-reluctant readers would also pick up
• Alternative texts like comics, graphic novels, poetry, magazines, blogs, and websites would be some examples to try

Issues or concerns

• This generation has been raised in a very visual world and so comics and graphic novels are very appealing to them.
• Their expectations for entertainment are high
• Even the most popular titles of nonfiction are rarely reviewed by traditional library journals
• Survey students to know their interests and the types of reading formats that they may like

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Non-fiction - depends on your users

Eye to Eye: Intimate Encounters with the Animal World by Frans Lanting

Extreme Pumpkins II: Take back Halloween and Freak out a Few More Neighbors by Tom Nardone

Paranormal Caught on Film by Melvyn Willin

Magazines may be a cheaper option than buying a nonfiction book that is a topic that is popular today but not next year (like someone in the music industry that is huge this year)

Online newspapers and magazines are much more affordable and various students can have favorites

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Fiction

Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan

• Frightening saga of a young boy's visit to a freak show that leads him on a journey into a dark world of vampires.

Alex Rider Series by Anthony Horowitz

• Storm Breaker (graphic novel) 14 year old Alex Rider the super spy. "Alex remains an appealing hero here, and the idea of a heroic teen up against insidious adults continues to be an extremely powerful draw for readers." Booklist
• Point Blank: "Powerful, privileged and screwed up, 16 boys in a boarding school suddenly turn into model students. It's up to 14-year-old Alex Rider to find out why and to face the maniacal man who has engineered it all in a bid to take over the world." Publisher's Weekly

Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer

• One of the more original vampire constructs around. Although Edward and Bellas romance and subsequent danger develops slowly, the pacing is appropriate for teens who want learn all the details in this suspenseful tale. An excellent purchase for both school and public libraries. School Library Journal

Orca Soundings Series: Interest level ages 14+ reading levels from grade 2.0-4.5 various authors

• Truth by Kyi - for CSI/Law and Order Fans
• Impact by James C. Dekker

Bluford High Series by various authors

• This series of books revolve around African-American teenagers who attend Bluford High School. Each book has a different story, but they all involve various struggles of today's teens.